Variable-speed drive mechanism for cotton-gins.



G.L.COLEMAN. VARIABILE SPEED DRIVE MECHANSM FOR COTTDN GiNS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21.1917.

Patented. Mal. l2, E918;

2 SHEETS-SEEE' l.

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G. L. COLEMAN. VAEMBLE SPEE DRWE MECHANISM FOR COTTON GINS.

APPLlCATON HLED FEB. 2i, i917. Lg, Emma Mar. 12, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SMEET 2.

www @oom GEORGE L. COLEMAN, OF DUBLIN, GEORGIA.

VARIABLE-SPEED DRIVE MECHANISM .'E'OR COTTON-GINS.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Application mea February 21, 1917. serial No. 150,229.

To all wiom z''may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. COLEMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dublin, in the county of Laurens, State of Georgia, haveinvented a new and useful Variable-Speed Drive Mechanism forCotton-Gins; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact descripn tion of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates in general to variable speed drive mechanism andis a mechanism of this character for use on cottongins particularly.

Its principal object is to provide a driving means for a pair ofconventional drums of a cotton-gin, so'that the speed of one of thedrums can be varied in respect with the other drum.

Another object is to provide means for stopping one of the drumsirrespective of the other drum.

Another object is to provide a hand control for the speed variationsthat will enable ythe operator of the gin to quickly raise or lower thespeed of one of the drums so as to give an even flow of cotton to thegin at all times, thereby increasing the capacity of the giu and givinga better sample of cotton.

The drawings do not aim at mechanical refinement in setting forth thisinvention, but alterations of the various associated `parts may bepermitted for the sake of more clearly applying the principles involved.Therefore, the right is reserved to reconstruct the device to meet thedemands of practice, if such a reconstruction does not depart from thespirit of the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention, thecasing for the worm and wormgear being broken away to show them moreclearly. o

Fig. 2 is a top plan View, the worm-gear casing and side of thegin-feeder are shown in section.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the hand lever for varying the speed of one ofthe drums.

Fig. 4 is a detail collective perspective View of the variable speedlever fork and the end of the worm-shaft.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the cam sleevel for stopping the worm.

In the drawings l designates a conventional cottonfgin feeder casing andmounted rotatably in said casing are drums 2 and 3. The shaft 4 carriesthe drum 2 and projects out of the casing l through the bearing 5 andcarries on this extended end the worm gear 6 which. is secured in placeby the set screw 7 and key 8. A casing 9 is attached to 1 by appropriatescrews 10. This casing incloses both the worm gear 6 and the worm 11. inthe section 12 of this easing the worm 1l rotates, its shaft 13 havingbearings in the opposite end walls thereof. The shaft 13 is providedwith a spline l5 and is capable of a sliding motion through the worm ll,the feather 14, which is carried by the worm, secures the worm on theshaft against rotary movement thereon. At the end remote from the wormthe shaft 13 earries the friction wheel 16 which is positively securedto it by any conventional means.

One end of the shaft 13 is provided with an annular groove in which thelegs of fork 17 engage. This fork is pivotally connected at 18 with thelever 19 that is secured on the rock shaft 20 which has a pivotalmounting in the pillar block 21 and at the side of the casing 1. On theinner face of the pillar block a rack 22 is secured over Whose teeth 23the arm 24 moves. rIhe arm 24 is positively connected with the rockshaft 20 and, as the lever 19 is moved, the arm moves over the teeth 23and engages between any two teeth to hold the lever 19 in the desiredposition. l

The pillar block 21 is an integral part of the base 22a which extendsfrom the feeder casing. This block has a bearing for the shaft 23a forwhich there is also a bearing 24a secured to the side of the casing 1.The spiked drum 3 is secured on the shaft inside the casing l and isrotated when motion is transmitted to the grooved Wheel 25. The wheel 25has a long hub 2G through the instrumentality of which it is permittedto slide longitudinally on the shaft 23. The feather 27 which slides inthe spline 2S prevents rotary movement of the wheel 25 in respect to theshaft 23.

The bearing 24a has the end cut olf at an angle and the shaft 23 carriesa movable sleeve 29 with the end similarly angled ott',

the end of the sleeve and the end of the bearing adjoining each other atthese angled ends. A handle 30 is integrally connected with the sleeve29 as are also two lugs 3l spiral spring 35 is under compression. rfhisv spring holds the inner face of the pulleyV or wheel-25 in contact withthe edge of the friction wheel 16, so that, when the pulley or wheel 25is rotated the friction wheel 16 will rotate in consequence.

' The sleeve29 provides a means for moving the pulley 25 out of contactwith the friction Wheel 16. sleeve 29 may be turned by its handle 30,its angled end and the angled end of the bearing24: coperating to movethe pulley longitudinally lon the shaft 23 against the pressure of thespring 35. lfJhen the friction wheel 16 rotates (as it will when incontact with the pulley 25) the worm 11 is rotated as a result of whichthe worm wheel 6 and the drum 2 are also rotated. rl`he speed of theworm and consequently the speed of the drum 2 can be varied by operatingthe lever 19, the pivoted fork 17 of which operates to move the shaft 13longitudinally through the worm 11. The friction wheel 16 being securedto the shaft 13 moves with it and is brought toward the center or towardthe pe* riphery of the pulley 25, which will make its Speed slow or fastwith respect to pulley 25 depending on whether it is near the center ornear the circumference thereof.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. 1n a variable speed mechanism, a driving shaft, a grooved pulleysplined thereon, bearings for the ends of said shaft, one of saidbearings having an angled end, a sleeve on the shaft aindliaviiiganangledend to co-V operate with the first angledendand interposed betweenthe first angled end and the hub of the pulley, a latchv connectionbetween the sleeve and the angled end' bearing said sleeve having arocked when the latch is disconnected to vmove the pulley longitudinallyon ,said

shaft, thereby disengaging said pulley from contact with a frictionwheel, a spring against the action of which said pulley is moved, adriven shaft having a worm wheel and being arranged in parallelism withthe driving shaft, a shaft at right angles to the driving and drivenshafts and having a worm meshing with said worin wheel, and a frictionwheel carriedrby said last named shaft, whereby its peripheral edge mayfrictionaliy contact'with one face of said pulley.

2. ln a variable speed mechanism, a driving shaft, a grooved pulleysplined thereon, bearings for the ends of said-shaft, one of said'bearings having an angled end, a sleeve on the-shaft andhaving anangled endv to cooperate/with the lirstangled end and inter- When thelatch 32 is raised the handle, whereby it may beV posed between thefirst angled end and the hub of the pulley, alatch connection betweenthe sleeve and the angled end bearing said sleeve having a handle,whereby it may be rocked when the latch is disconnected to move thepulley longitudinally on said shaft, thereby disengaging said pulleyfrom contact with a friction wheel, a spring against the action of whichsaid pulley is moved, av

driven shaft having a worm wheel and being arranged in' parallelism withthe driving shaft, a shaft at right angles tothe driving and drivenshafts, a worin through which` said last named shaft slidably telescopesand spliiied therein, anda friction wheel ycarried by the last namedshaft whereby itsV periphery may frictionally` contact withV one face ofsaid pulley, and means for moving'V said last named shaft through theworm, for adjusting the periphery of the friction wheelV with respect tothe center offsaid pulley, whereby said driven shaft mayberotated atvariable speeds.

3. In a variable speed .mechanism,`ldriv'V i ing and driven'pshafts inparallelism to each other, the driving shaft having a groovedV pulley towhich power may be transmitted, a worm wheel on the driven shaft, ashaft to *one side of and at right angles, to the driven shaft andkhaving a friction wheelat one end, whereby itsperiphery mayfriction'ally'contact with one face of said pulley, a worm meshing withsaid worm wheel and being splined to the last named shaft, whereby saidlast mentioned shaft may move longitudinally and axially therethrough, asupport, bearings in which said support is rockably mounted, saidsupport having a right angled extending arm, meanspto be engaged by saidarm to hold the support in different adjusted positions when rocked, alever movable with saidsupporta member pivoted onv said lever and havinga loose connection with one end of said last mentioned shaft,

whereby as said; lever is moved andthe support rocked saidV lastmentioned shaft may be moved axially through its-worm for Vad-A justingthe peripheryof'the friction wheel toward and from the center of saidpulley, whereby the driven shaft may be rotated at variable speeds.

4. In a variable speed mechanism, drivingj and driven shafts inparallelism to each ether, the driving shaft having a grooved pulley towhich power may be transmitted,

a worm wheel on the driven shaft, av shaft to;

one side of and at right angles to the driven shaft and having afriction wheel at oneend, whereby its periphery may frictionally contactwith one face of said pulley, av worm Vmeshing with saidworm wheel andbeing splined to the last named shaft, whereby said last mentioned shaftmaymove h )ngitudi-V nally and axially therethrough, a support, bearingsin which saidsupport is riockably mounted, said support having a rightangled extending arm, means to be engaged by said arm to hold thesupport in different adjusted positions when rocked, a lever movablewith said support, a member pivoted on said lever and having a looseconnection with one end of said last mentioned shaft, whereby as saidlever is moved and the support rocked said last mentioned shaft may bemoved axially through its form for adjusting the periphery of thefriction wheel toward and from the center of said pulley, whereby thedriven shaft may be rotated at variable speeds, and means for moving thepulley toward and from the periphery of the friction 15 wheel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE L. COLEMAN.

Witnesses:

C. E. LEROY, J. B. GREEN.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner oi Patente,

Washington, D. C.

